Back and Forth: a Bajoran's Tale
by purrpickle
Summary: On the eve of a Bajoran holiday, Tal Celes is surprised to find that Seven of Nine is curious. Where will this curiosity eventually lead them? Every day it seems like one step forward, two steps back. Eventual Seven/Celes femslash.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek Voyager, nor the characters.

Warning: Will eventually contain femslash.

Update (new Author's note): I'm just reloading this chapter because I realized that Tal is a Crewman, and not an Ensign. However, I will be posting the next chapter soon, when my beta is done with it. :)

* * *

On the eve of the Bajoran Time of Cleansing, Tal Celes submitted her medical request of fasting to the Doctor. Even if Starfleet tolerated the Bajoran religion, Tal had learned that it helped to remind those in charge. After going over the usual spiel that the Doctor repeated every year, arguing against the practice, she turned away from him to make her way to the Bridge, where she would inform Commander Chakotay, who would then let the Captain know. It seemed like a waste of resources, but Tal was still skittish around Janeway, her own shortcomings weighing down on her with every second in the powerful woman's presence.

As the doors of Sickbay swished open in front of her, her attempts to exit were blocked by the solid form of Voyager's own ex-drone.

Stopping short, Tal blushed, muttering out, "Sorry, Seven! Don't mean to be in your way!" Trying to edge around the other woman, she was stopped by Seven's voice.

"Crewman Celes. You were not 'in my way'. As there are only one set of doors to the Sickbay, it is logical to assume that people walk through them at conflicting times." The tall blonde inclined her head slightly to the left. "There is no need to apologize."

"Oh…Oh. Okay." Turning back to her department head, the young Bajoran gave a small, nervous shake of her head. Although she saw Seven every day in her duty shift, she rarely interacted with her outside of work. Knowing that the woman had criticized her abilities and was still double-checking her every once in a while, Tal only felt more and more depressed about herself whenever in her presence. That was one of the things she was planning on meditating on while she fasted… Why she still found herself underachieving.

As if noticing her sudden bout of melancholy, Seven asked, "Are you functioning within parameters, Crewman Celes?"

"Huh? What?" Jarred out of her inner turmoil, Tal stared at Seven, looked away, looked back, and then studied her hands. "No, I-I'm fine. Thank you for asking. I… Will be on my way?" She turned and started to take another step around Seven, but was stopped again.

"Crewman. It is the evening before your 'holiday', is it not?"

"What?" popped out of her mouth before she could stop it, and Tal whirled around, her eyes wide, "You know about that?" How could Seven know about her fasting?

Seven inclined her head again, the blonde standing firmly upright with her arms behind her back, her eyes staring intensely at the young Bajoran in front of her. Heedless of the fact that they were standing in front of the doors of Sickbay, the ex-borg answered.

"Yes. In my time as a Drone, I had assimilated knowledge of countless beings, Bajoran being one of them. It is my knowledge that you have a month of… not ingesting? However, I am unsure of the exact reason why your species would do this."

Tal felt her eyebrow twitch. "The Borg… Thought that the Time of Cleansing was relevant?"

"Yes." Seven nodded. "The Borg are interested in any reason a species or individual would deny itself nutrients or supplements that it would normally need to continue functioning."

Again, Tal didn't know what to say. She had long ago come to terms with the fact that she worked with someone who had helped assimilate thousands of people, Bajoran included. However, when that knowledge was forced in front of her nose, it was another matter altogether.

"Uhm…" she started, shifting on her feet, "So you know _of_ the Cleansing, which means you know _why_ we do it, religiously, but you are really asking the… The personal reason?"

A small smile flashed across Seven's face, and Tal got the impression that if she had blinked, she would have missed it. "Yes. That is correct."

"Yes yes. Although this is a quite fascinating and exciting conversation, I don't need you putting ideas into Seven's head, and keeping her from her checkup. Not to mention you two cluttering up the entrance to my Sickbay. So, if you _must_," the Doctor glared tightly at Tal, "Please continue this conversation at another time, and not in my Sickbay!"

Tal gulped, seeing this as her chance to make a clean getaway. "I-I, I'm sorry! Bye Seven!" And she hurried out before Seven could stop her again.

Watching the young woman's exit, Seven turned to the Doctor. Her face impassive, she raised her ocular implant at him.

The Doctor tried to ignore her expression and took her arm, leading her farther in. "Come, come, Seven. How's my little Borg doing?"

"I am not little nor yours, Doctor. Other than that, I am doing 'fine.'"


	2. Chapter 2

After stopping off at the Mess Hall to inform Neelix of the oncoming ritual, only to have been told that he was already aware of it due to some of the other Bajoran crewmembers, having then went on to offer her a 'nice pot of Leola Root Stew to help hold her stomach for days', which she refused good-naturedly, citing she already had dinner plans, Tal made her way to the Bridge. Entering the turbolift, she let herself take a deep breath and resettle her shoulders. Rubbing a hand over her nose ridges, she realized that she had a headache. Aching to undo her hair from her bun, she knew that she couldn't until after she had completed her mission. Instead, she busied herself making sure the PADD she held with her request had no mistakes in it. It wouldn't do well to fail even more in the captain's eyes.

Fortunately, as the turbolift doors opened onto the bridge, there was no sign of Captain Janeway. Instead, sitting in the captain's seat was Commander Chakotay, who was reading the information sent to him on the small screen to his left. Giving Ensign Kim a shy smile as she walked past his Operations post in response to his own, Tal made her way over to the commander.

At her footsteps, Chakotay looked up, a smile crinkling around his eyes. "Ah. Crewman Celes. You have something for me?"

Tal nodded, holding out the PADD. Glancing over it cursory, Chakotay nodded and rose from his seat, making her step back reflexively. Although he noted her response, the commander chose not to say anything. Instead, he studied the young Bajoran in front of him. Raising an eyebrow, making his tattoo shift on his forehead, he asked, "How are your duties going?"

A little surprised, Tal shifted on her feet. "Ah, very… Very well, sir."

"Are things working out better with Seven?"

Knowing Chakotay took his role as first officer seriously, Tal took a few seconds to respond. She wasn't sure she really wanted to admit the insecurities she still felt, or how inadequate she still felt around the tall blonde, but she could admit that a lot of her nervousness had disappeared. So she firmed her expression and focused her eyes back onto the man in front of her. "Things are going well," she hedged a bit.

The Native American nodded, then turned away, about to walk to Janeway's Ready Room when Tal felt words tumble out of her mouth she hadn't meant to share, "Ah… She was curious… Sir."

"Curious?" Intrigued himself, Chakotay turned back. "What about, Crewman?"

Blanching internally at his use of her rank, and cursing herself for her habit of long pauses in her speech, Tal made a weak motion at the PADD in his hands. "The Time of Cleansing."

"Really?" Surprised despite himself, the commander thought to himself for a second, watching her rigid nod. Honestly, he wished she would relax a bit, but he knew enough of her past to understand why she wouldn't. Deciding to take pity on her, he responded with 'interesting', and called for Kim to take his place momentarily in the captain's chair. Nodding at her with dismissal, he went to add another PADD to the captain's stack.

Tal watched him go, her forehead wrinkling. Rubbing her ridges softly again, she turned to head back to the turbolift when she almost ran into Harry. "Oh! I'm sorry."

Harry smiled boyishly, "It's no problem. I snuck up on you." He looked like he was about to say something else, but Tal quickly backtracked, apologized once more, and walked swiftly to the turbolift. _Finally_, she thought, pulling the collar of her uniform away from the front of her throat, I can go to my room and have some privacy before dinner.

*

Captain Janeway looked up when she heard the chime at the door. "Come in," she called, taking a sip of her coffee. Making a slight expression of disgust when it turned out to be cold, she got up and walked to the replicator. Turning around with a nice new cup of hot coffee, she sighed when she saw Chakotay holding another PADD in his hand. "Oh, no. _Another_ one?"

Her friend smirked. "Afraid so, Captain."

The auburn haired woman sighed and took her seat at the desk again. "Who is it this time?"

"Crewman Celes."

"Oh, really?" Hearing the name of one of her 'lost sheep', Janeway looked up. She took a thoughtful sip of coffee. "And how is the Crewman doing?" Waving the hand not occupied with holding the mug at Chakotay to let him know he was allowed to sit down across from her, she accepted the PADD he held out. She scanned it lightly as her second-in-command spoke.

"Crewman Celes appears to be fine."

"Appears?" Janeway raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Chakotay nodded. "She's still tight lipped."

Sighing, Janeway set both the mug and the PADD down, lacing her fingers together in front of her, resting them on the desk. It had already been six years, and the Crewman still seemed lost. After the event with the Delta Flyer, the young woman had seemed to improve. Janeway hoped that Celes wasn't going to go backwards.

Chakotay studied the strong woman in front of him. He knew that she felt personally responsible for what had happened out in space, and that she had taken a slightly more personal interest in the young Crewman because of it. It must disappoint her, he thought, to not be able to do anything directly, due to her position as captain. Leaning forward, he asked, "May I speak freely?"

When she nodded, he leaned back again, placing a hand under his chin, his thumb running absently over his skin. "Although Celes seems to be doing better with regards to work, I think she's suffering in other aspects of her life."

Janeway tilted her head. "Oh? What makes you say that?"

Chakotay smiled slightly. "Have you ever seen her out with friends, those oh so few times you leave the bridge," he couldn't help poking fun at her softly, "other than her roommate or Telfer?" Waiting for Janeway's slow shake of her head, he continued, "I also looked up her personnel file. Since the away mission and even before, she hasn't taken any off-time. As far as I can tell, she works and eats, only going out when her roommate or Crewman Telfer make her."

Janeway's eyes narrowed. "No… off-time? Even _I_ take some time off."

"That's because I make you," Chakotay smirked.

"Be that as it may," the captain resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "I can't believe she hasn't… She didn't say anything about that to me." Janeway shifted uneasily in her seat.

"Kathryn, you're the captain. She's a crewman. I think she doesn't want to clutter up your time with 'inconsequential things'." Chakotay cleared his throat, realizing how stiff that made him sound. "However, if you plan on addressing this with her, I think you're going to have to wait."

Janeway looked up at him. As he looked pointedly at the PADD she had set down earlier, she realized her first officer was right. She picked up her coffee again, swiveling in her chair to stare out of a window at the passing stars and planets, "Hmmm." Suddenly, she raised her hand and arm, a thought coming to her.

A little startled at her quick swivel back, Chakotay waited for what she was going to say. Experience told him that he couldn't rush Kathryn when she was deciding what was best for her crew. Especially if it had to do with their personal lives, he grinned to himself. Nobody but himself knew just how nosy their captain was. She was more muted in her approach to the gossip than the doctor, but she definitely kept abreast of it. He knew it helped her connect on a more emotional level to her crew when interacting with them, no matter if they didn't realize it.

Lack of movement caught his eye, and he looked up to see that Kathryn was done moving her arms through the air. He kept the chuckle to himself. It wouldn't do to tell the captain that she was sometimes too expressive with her arms. Besides, he knew she only did it with him, and possibly Seven. For everyone else, she was the perfect example of a strong, composed, and professional Starfleet captain.

Said captain opened her mouth to explain her plan. In spite of himself (or maybe _because_ of it) Chakotay found himself getting drawn in.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N.: *PLEASE READ!* This is just a short chapter to use as a way to amuse you and explain a few things. I started this story having never seen the episode 'Good Shepherd', the only episode that features Tal Celes with anything else than a background role. She has lines, she's an integral part of the plot, and she has character development. So until the end of this chapter, everything I have written about Tal's character or personality, I essentially… made up. I made her character using a mixture of what the Star Trek Wiki told me, and what I had read in other fanfictions. I admit that freely. So if you've noticed OOC-ness, that's why! And now that I have seen that episode (and become even more enamored with Tal) I will attempt to add some of that Tal's character development into mine, though keeping much of what I've already decided she's like.

I hope you're not confused yet, because I have more to disclaim. I have no idea how Bajorans act, or how they go about conducting their rituals. I was too young to remember anything when I watched DS9 with my mother, so I'm pretty much just doing what I did with Tal's character: cobbling together what scant info I can find on the internet, and using my imagination to fill in the rest. I hope you guys can forgive me. I've fallen in love with this story, and I want to see it through. I don't want to get any flamers that rant about what I'm doing wrong, okay? I know this. I haven't gotten any yet, but I just want to cover the bases.

And if you're wondering about who Amanda Porter is, she's an actual crewmember aboard Voyager. Since Tal's roommate was never shown or given a name in the show, I took a female crewman that was mentioned once in the crew roster and threw her in, giving her character, too. I _told_ you I did a lot of research!

Anyway, I've rambled too long. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

As soon as she stepped through the doors of her quarters, her hands were pulling her hair out of the bun and taking off her uniform top. Quickly shedding the turtleneck as well, Tal went over to her bed, slipping off her work shoes with tired, practiced motions. Without ceremony, she flopped down. Letting her body relax, her muscles un-kinking, she closed her eyes and controlled her breathing, meditating. Finally, feeling much of her stress flow away, she rolled onto her side. Planning to get up and replicate a nice glass of iced deka tea, the brunette squeaked when she realized her roommate was, not only in the room, but staring at her with an odd look on her face.

"A-Amanda! I didn't know you were in here…" Tal sat up quickly, glad she hadn't taken off her gray Starfleet issued tank top as well.

Amanda Porter, a Crewman that worked in the Hydroponics Bay after Kes' departure, snorted at her. Pressing a hand to her own chest, Amanda batted her eyes at her roommate. "Why, Celes, that was quite a show. Too bad you stopped there…"

Groaning, Tal flopped back onto her bed. "Shut up," she mumbled, putting one arm over her eyes.

Amanda's disembodied voice chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. I was just impressed. I think that's the fastest you've done that yet."

"Really?" Feeling a little proud, though she didn't know why she should be, Tal sat up again. Seeing that her roommate was dressed for going out, she crossed her legs under her, reaching back with a hand to blindly find her pillow so she could hug it, and looked at Amanda, "Going out? You look nice."

Amanda smiled at her in thanks, putting the last finishing touch to her blonde hair. She smoothed down her black dress and adjusted the straps one last time. "William asked me to dinner."

Feeling surprised that her friend had finally worked up the courage to ask Amanda out, Tal nodded, smiling softly. "Great. Well, have fun." She waved back at the blonde's as her roommate exited their room.

The brunette felt a little sad that she hadn't been asked out herself. She hadn't been asked out in a long time, to be honest, though Tal hated to admit it. A few men had asked her the first couple of years, but she had always politely declined.

At first, it had been because she knew that she needed to work extra hard to keep up with what was expected of her. And indeed, that first year had been horrible. She was staying up almost all night every night just to get work done, much like she had at the Starfleet Academy. When she finally settled down into her job, dating just hadn't interested her. However, when she realized that she was finally ready for intimacy, she had been transferred to Astrometrics.

Astrometrics had supplied her with its own brand of complications. She found herself suddenly _doubling_ the amount of time she worked at night and in the off hours. The piercing eyes of Seven of Nine watching her and the blonde's practice of double-checking everything she did made Tal almost frozen in fear and self-doubt. No matter the help or consolation Billy provided her, the brunette still felt that she could never do enough.

She was seriously considering walking off Voyager at the next shore leave and never coming back when Janeway had handpicked her, Telfer, and Herran for the away mission. That trip still gave her nightmares, but it _had_ instilled some self-worth back into her. She found that work came to her a bit easier, and Seven had backed off a little.

Actually, she wondered, amazed, remembering her run-in with Seven earlier, Seven had actually deemed her worthy of engaging in conversation! She knew that she could have easily gone to one of the other Bajorans onboard to ask about the Time of Cleansing. But something about the way she asked, the brunette knew that she was actually asking her for _her_ reasons, not because she conveniently around to ask.

Tal sat on her bed thinking for the next couple of seconds before she unfolded herself and finally went to the replicator. Noticing that she still had a lot of credits left in her account, she smiled a little guiltily that she would have much more after the coming month. Placing her order, she distractedly tucked some wayward bangs behind her ear to get them out of the way of her line of vision. Brushing against her right ear, she realized that she had not replaced her earring. Chastising herself, she grabbed her tea and then went back to her side of the room. Placing the glass down on her bedside table, Tal reached into her drawer and retrieved a small case. Her earring was safely put away inside.

In a simple design made for her by her father, her earring featured the Celes family crest. Fashioned from elturium and aidonium, two metals her father had picked up from some deep-space vendor, the earring proudly expressed her belief in the Bajoran religion. During her on duty hours, she felt naked without it, often reaching up to tug on her earlobe to simulate the weight of it. Seven used to comment on the habit, almost always making a direct remark about lack of efficiency. That stopped, however, after Seven had walked into Sandrines one day to find Tal off-duty with Amanda and Billy.

Feeling a piercing gaze on her back, Tal had turned around, brown eyes widening when she realized that her superior was across the bar. She had opened her mouth, about to squeak something out to her friends, hoping against hope that Seven wasn't there to drag her back into Astrometrics, when she noticed that Seven wasn't paying attention to her face. Instead, the tall blonde had her eyes narrowed on something next to her right cheekbone. When Tal had reached up self-consciously to where Seven was looking, she accidentally brushed against her earring. With a calculating look on her face and her ocular implant raised, the ex-borg finally returned Tal's gaze, nodded once, then turned and walked out of the program. She never commented on the ear tugging again.

Brushing the dark brown hair away from her ear with her arm, she slipped the earring in, fastening it with years of practice. She then retrieved her glass of iced tea and took a long, needed sip. Ahh… Finally. Her headache was going away.

Taking the time to finish her drink leisurely, Tal finally pushed herself up to start getting ready for the ceremony. She had to prepare her mind, body, and the ceremonial meal her family had eaten for generations. Making her way back to the replicator, she idly wondered if her fellow Bajorans prepared different food, and if they did, if it was based on where they had grown up on Bajor. She had never asked the others what they ate before the ritual, and she didn't feel like leaving her room again that night to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Tal walked into the Astrometrics lab early, and with quiet energy. She had spent the evening before in meditation, calming her mind. While one eye was on her work, the other was turned inward. She smiled to herself, sure that she would make no mistakes that day. Little steps, she reminded herself. Start with today.

Hearing Seven's entrance, she looked up and nodded at her, going right back to her work without waiting for the return nod.

Throughout the shift, the brunette worked hard and consistently, trying to keep her energy levels high. Nearing the end, against her best wishes, her stomach started to gurgle. Blanching a little, and catching Seven's raised implant, she coughed and tried to pretend that it had not happened. She knew, however, that with her extraordinary hearing, the tall blonde would be able to hear it no matter what. The young woman hoped that it wouldn't bother her.

Finally, as the night shift came to take over, Tal stepped back. Feeling a little stiff but satisfied with the analyses she had completed (even a little thrilled that Seven _hadn't_ come by to check her work at all), she turned to exit the lab.

But once again, she was blocked by a solid body. Quickly scooting backwards with a small yelp, she realized that she had again run straight into Seven of Nine.

"Crewman Celes, is this some Bajoran custom I am not familiar with? This is the second time in 23.14 hours you have pushed your body against mine. I am aware the first time was an accident. Was this one as well? It seems an inefficient way of greeting."

Clicking her jaw shut after she felt it going dry from having dropped open, Tal stuttered. "Uh, Seven, I, you were behind me and…" Her mind racing, the shorter woman realized that she could technically still be on shift, so she pulled herself together after taking another step back. With the added bonus of not having to look up so high to meet Seven's eyes anymore, she also felt a bit more comfortable with the distance. Seven managed to be so intense.

Tal straightened her spine, "I apologize, Seven. I didn't realize you were behind me. It… It was just an accident. _Another_ accident." She couldn't help muttering the last part to herself.

Seven did not answer right away. She studied Tal, her face impassive. Tal hoped she wasn't fidgeting physically as she was mentally. The ex-borg's gaze seemed to be moving up and down her body, cataloging information no doubt. It may have been impersonal, but it still made her uncomfortable.

"I detect an average slowing of 1.3% of the natural speed of your internal organs, Crewman Celes. Most notably in your heart. It is beating half a percent slower than the normal Bajoran with your stature and health." Seven cocked her head to the side. "Is this a result of your not ingesting?"

"No, Seven. I think that's from my meditation…" Glancing around the lab, she decided she really didn't want to have that particular discussion at that moment. Starting to step forward, then thinking better and stepping back again, she tugged nervously at her ear.

"Do you… Can we… Uhm, do you want to come back to my, my quarters to talk about this?"

A surprised look flashed across Seven's face, quickly flitting away. However, even if it was her imagination, the ex-borg's deep blue eyes seemed to have softened a fraction. "That would be acceptable," she said pointedly and turned on her heel to stride out of Astrometrics.

"Great," the brunette muttered to herself, gathering up her courage and following Seven out to the hall. She shouldn't have been surprised that Seven knew where her room was, but she was surprised to find that the woman had held the turbolift for her. She had assumed that the ex-borg would have gone on ahead. Well, I guess that's not a nice assumption, she thought to herself, smiling nervously at Seven in thanks.

She was about to state her destination when Seven interrupted her, "I have already stated your deck and section, Crewman."

"Oh… Okay. Thank you, Seven."

Seven nodded curtly.

Silence reigned in the small turbolift. Out of the corner of her eye, the Bajoran studied the other woman's profile. Seven wasn't so tall that Tal had to crane her head back to look at her in the face, but she definitely was more than a head taller with her heels. Surreptitiously studying the starburst implant under Seven's ear, she came to the realization that it could almost be an earring of its own.

Seven's bone structure was beautiful, she had to admit; at least in an aesthetic way. She had heard from various conversations that Seven of Nine's face and body were similar to those of humans that originated from the Nordic part of Earth, but Tal had to take their word for it. She had never bothered to study the geography of Earth, as she already had too much to worry about at the Starfleet Academy.

Tracing down the subtle curve of the taller woman's neck, seeing the strong muscles and tendons, the brunette found herself trying to guess if the strength portrayed was caused by leftover Borg technology or the result of her genes. She continued her perusal down, past Seven's clavicle and the beginning of her purple bio suit. Skipping over her chest, feeling too embarrassed to give it anything more than a single glance, Tal busied herself with studying the ribbed portion of the suit. She still hadn't figured out if it was a part of the outfit or leftover exoskeleton around Seven's waist.

"Is there a reason you are staring at me?"

Surprised by the cold, crisp tones of Seven's voice, Tal's snapped her eyes back up. She hadn't noticed that while she was studying the ex-borg's body, her head and chin had lowered, tilting to left, giving herself away. She felt trapped, unreadable blue eyes drilling into her. Heart beating quickly in her chest, she stuttered out the first thing that came to mind, "I-I was just wondering why that was the only thing you wear, Seven!"

Feeling triumphant that what she had babbled out was understandable, she waited for a reply.

Seven arched her implant. "This is not the 'only thing I wear', Celes. I have a suit in silver, one in brown, another in blue, and one in black. I also have a black suit for playing Velocity with the captain. On some occasions, I even put on the deep space suit as well. Your question is flawed. Perhaps you wish to rephrase it?"

Was… Was Seven of Nine _teasing_ her? Tal searched the blonde's face for any sign of mockery. She couldn't find anything, but that didn't mean much with the usually expressionless Seven. "That's not what I meant. I knew that, Seven. I meant…"

"Yes?"

"I meant that…" Tal struggled to express what she wanted to say without insulting the other woman. Really, how had she gotten herself into this? Taking a quick glance at the turbolift's display, she wondered why it seemed like the trip was taking far longer than usual.

"Seven, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but, well," Tal waved her hand vaguely at Seven's midsection, "What you're wearing, it's… Unorthodox. The style, I mean. The style. It's…" Deciding to forge ahead while she still had the chance to maybe get herself out of the situation with her job and pride intact, Tal burst out, "It's too revealing! You can see… You can see everything! As one woman to the other, I'm just pointing out that it's… It's very revealing."

While Tal didn't have any problems with the shape of her own body, and she wasn't jealous of Seven's, she still felt embarrassed for the woman. It wasn't like the blonde appeared to be self conscious or doubtful about her ability to actually pull the outfit off; it was more like she just didn't _notice_ the reactions it inspired. Although Tal had disliked the woman when she first arrived (distrustful was more like it. Okay, she'd admit it. She'd been scared of the ex-borg), she still had felt bad about the comments and rumors that had popped up. It hadn't seemed fair.

Billy had asked her once what she thought, "You know, because you work with her." He had never joined in the Mess Hall conversations, of which Tal felt proud of her best friend for. The former hypochondriac, while not convinced that he wasn't dying at any given moment, was really a sweet man. She didn't know what she would have done without him. He was the leading factor for her continuing mental and emotional health, as well as his being the reason she still had a job on Voyager, not having been regulated to waitressing.

His question came one night after a particular stressful shift where Seven had reamed her out for faulty analyses a record six times. She and Billy were resting in one of the many common rooms, suits unzipped, talking casually about what they had planned the following day. Tal had let her hair down, and she was just in the process of fluffing it out when her best friend's question seemed to come out of nowhere. Pausing, unsure if she had heard him right, she asked him to repeat himself.

"Well, you've worked with her for a while now. I was just wondering if she's anything like what Paris says." Billy looked at her with an earnest, curious expression.

Tal snorted, pulling her hair pins out of her mouth and tucking them into her pocket. "Billy," she admonished, "I bet Paris makes up everything he says. Besides, I've told you about her before. And, honestly, I'd rather not talk about that woman right now." All she wanted was to forget about her stress, flashing blue eyes, and narrowing lips. In fact, in a fit of productivity the night before, she had managed to get all of her work done in advance, which meant she didn't have to worry about it or Seven that day or the next.

Nodding, Billy managed to make staring down at his PADD look positively crestfallen. Starting to feel guilty, thinking that maybe she had snapped too brusquely, Tal had reached out and rubbed his arm. Noting with worn concern that his eyes had deep bags under them again, she tried to smile reassuringly.

"Hey, I'm sorry. What did you want to know?"

Billy's face erupted into his boyish grin. "It's about the way she dresses. Does she do it to show off? Paris says that she likes teasing everyone and –"

"Oh, no, no, no." Shaking her head roughly, Tal interrupted him. "It's not like that at all. Seven's… I think she only dresses that way because it's the only thing she knows."

"What do you mean?" Billy leaned forward.

Half grimacing but having to smile at how eager her friend looked, she had continued. "I think it's because it's what the Doctor dressed her in. She probably doesn't know any better. Although," the young woman hadn't stopped the curling of her lip back in disgust at the Doctor, "I still haven't figured out if her bio suits are needed for regulating her human and Borg systems, or if it's just the Doctor's way of perving legitimately."

Billy had stifled a chuckle at her last statement, but quickly sobered. "That's sad though, isn't it?"

Tal nodded in agreement.

Running his hand through his hair, looking thoughtful, the other crewman had suddenly leaned forward again to ask another question. In the back of her head, the young Bajoran had to admit that it was very cute of William Telfer to be concerned for a crewmember he had probably only came into contact a handful of times. "Does it embarrass you?"

Tal's eyes had gone wide at that question. "I, well." That had been new territory for her, and she had to put a little more thought into what she said. Finally, looking back up, she had nodded, a little embarrassed herself. "I guess… I guess I'm embarrassed _for_ her. It's a woman thing, you know?"

Taking that as an end to the conversation, Billy had thankfully switched to another topic, grilling her on 'Zero G Is Fun'again.

As all that flew through her mind at light speed, she couldn't believe that she had let her mouth say words before she could stop them, again. Feeling drained of energy, head down and studying the turbolift floor (had it always been this color?) with her shoulders drooped, Tal waited for her reprimand.

…And waited. All her ears could pick up was the low hum of the turbolift and the occasional gurgling of her stomach. Inside her chest, her heart pounded. Her hands were beginning to tingle. She wished she could rub her nose ridges. Not since she had accused Captain Janeway of hiring her out of sympathy had she felt the same way.

More seconds passed. Was what she said so bad that Seven was never going to speak to her again? Or was she preparing herself to send a small Bajoran woman to the Sickbay by way of pain? Or, or… Frowning to herself, the brunette realized that she couldn't think of any other reason why Seven would continue to be silent. The arm and leg in Tal's line of sight gave no hint as to what their owner was doing.

Okay, she was getting really concerned. Had she _broken_ Seven? At the instant feeling of guilt to rush through her, Tal raised her head.

Seven of Nine was staring at her with an expression Tal had never seen before.

The smaller woman shuffled her feet and unconsciously shifted her body. When the turbolift doors opened, should she make a run for it? Would she get to her room in time? And would the doors be strong enough to keep Seven out??

Tal turned as the turbolift doors opened.

Her exit was halted by a soft voice, "Crewman Celes…"

Said crewman swallowed. Her better nature prevailing, the young woman turned back, "Yes, Seven?"

Seven blinked, as if she was surprised that Tal had even stopped. She studied the wall next to the Bajoran's head.

Feeling uncomfortable still standing in the turbolift, Tal offered, "Uhm, Seven, do you… Let's finish this conversation in my room, okay? I imagine other people will want to use this turbolift. It would speed up efficiency, as you would say." Her mouth quirked up in a half smile, and she stepped back, opening the way for the tall woman to exit.

At the mention of the word 'efficiency', Seven suddenly snapped back into her usual self. Her spine seemed to straighten itself, though Tal hadn't noticed if it had slumped before or not, and her face was unreadable again. Craning her head slightly in agreement, Seven made to walk forward. Instead, she stopped right outside the closing turbolift doors.

"Crewman Celes, I am uncertain if I shall wish to discuss this matter at a later time. I do not think I shall be… brave enough. May I ask one question now?"

This was another day of firsts, Tal decided. The perfect, faultless woman in front of her was admitting to be afraid! Whatever Seven had to say, it couldn't be so bad, right? If the ex-borg was mad at her for what she said, she would have mentioned something already, right? By the Prophets, it was hard figuring out Seven of Nine!

"Of, of course, Seven. Go right ahead." She felt happy that she had barely stuttered through that opening of her mouth.

"You called me a woman. Did you mean that?"

Out of everything Tal had blurted out, she hadn't expected that to be what had disturbed the blonde.

Taking her silence as a denial, Seven of Nine instantly became emotionless again, striding quickly away down the hall.

Wait, what? "Seven! Uh, Seven?" Pushing her body to hurry after her, Tal's mind whirled. What had just _happened_?


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I drew some pictures! Yay! They were made so when I start to draw my own imagination pics of the lovely ladies, I'll have some experience under my belt. Doesn't mean they're not good, though. I have enough pride of them to say they're damn good. If you go see, you'll know what I mean. And since Tal is my main character, they're mainly of her. Go to my profile to look up my homepage.

* * *

Humming softly to herself, Ensign Samantha Wildman leisurely took her daily constitutional up and down the decks of Voyager. Having begun the exercise as a way to stretch out her legs and get back into shape after Naomi had been born, it was now an ingrained part of her schedule. She used the time to work through any problems she had with her work as a xenobiologist, or to think about the day, or plan what she and her daughter were going to do their next time in the holodeck. Sometimes, she just walked for the sake of walking.

Today, however, Samantha was looking forward to picking up her daughter from Neelix's quarters. They had planned a family night of Kadis Kot and other games Naomi wanted to play. The half Ktarian child was growing up quickly; too quickly, the blonde thought somewhat nostalgically. That was thanks to her father, Samantha's husband, Greskrendtregk.

Lost in thought about her husband, who she still loved and missed dearly, Samantha turned a corner, heading towards the turbolift. A shout caught her attention. Narrowing her eyes to try and see if she could better interpret what was happening ahead of her, the ensign was surprised to see her daughter's friend, Seven of Nine walking swiftly towards her. Shouts and Seven of Nine weren't astonishing in and of themselves (as it was a common occurrence for the former borg to be yelled at), but it was the person _doing_ the shouting that surprised her.

As the tall form of Seven was quickly closing in on her position, Samantha moved back towards the wall to get out of the way. She was still a little unnerved by the younger woman, but Naomi was comfortable in her presence, which spoke louder than any of her concerns ever could. She had been making an effort to get to know the normally cold woman recently, and had even invited her to join in the family night. However, Seven had politely declined, stating she had other plans. At the time, Samantha hadn't thought to ask what those plans were; now she wondered if this disturbance was involved. But surely Seven didn't want to get yelled at, the blonde chided herself.

When Seven got close enough, Samantha reached out her hand, hoping to pause the heavy footfalls. "Seven…? Are you okay?"

The tall blonde stopped, turning towards her. "Yes, Ensign Wildman, I am 'fine'."

Raising her eyebrow suspiciously, Samantha's 'Mother Radar' was going off loud and clear. "Are you sure?" Inclining her head and giving a small smile to the young brunette who had stopped a ways down the hall, Samantha turned back, "You have someone following you."

Seven's lips tightened, pulling the corners of her mouth down. It was the only sign that indicated that something was wrong. To Samantha, it spoke volumes. Although it was a muted version of her daughter's body language, she could tell Seven of Nine was upset. Samantha glanced at the woman down the hall again, who was wringing her hands and staring at Seven with big eyes.

"That someone is Crewman Tal Celes, properly known as Celes Tal with deference to her species. She works in Astrometrics as an analyst."

Okay, that someone was the Celes that Seven had mentioned before as being difficult and unsatisfactory, with no hope of being anything else than inept. But she had also heard from _Good Morning, Voyager_ that the young woman had been instrumental in bringing the Delta Flyer back and saving the Captain from Dark Matter life forms. In fact, Samantha had been meaning to talk to her about the experience in conjunction with her job, but other things had always come up. Also unsure why the ex-borg would give her both names (she could think about the significance later, if she wanted), she wanted to get more information of the current crisis.

"What happened with Crewman Celes?"

Seven of Nine looked away from Samantha's face. Surprised at the sudden absence of blue eyes, she was beginning to wonder if the problem wasn't work related after all. If the ex-borg had been making her way to Janeway to lodge a complaint, she would have been making her way towards the turbolift, not away from it. Also, Tal Celes was looking way too bewildered and upset for it to be anything other than a personal matter.

Finally, Seven turned back, rigid, the muscles in her neck taut. She had folded her arms behind her, taking the stance Samantha had seen too often from her daughter, who was beginning to pick up some Seven-isms as Neelix called it. Her ocular implant twitched slightly above her eye. If she looked close enough, Samantha could swear that Seven was clenching her jaw.

"Nothing 'happened', Ensign. We were conversing and I asked an… unintelligent question. I found I did not like the answer." The tall woman seemed to find the words she had uttered distasteful.

" Do you want to talk about it?" Admitting to herself that Seven was growing on her, Samantha felt her motherly instincts start to take over. This seemed like something she could deal with.

"I don't see the merit in repeating verbally what has already passed."

Completing her motion from before, Samantha reached out her hand and touched the younger woman's arm softly, "It wouldn't hurt to try, Seven. I'm willing to listen. You'd probably feel better having someone impartial to talk to. Maybe I could help you understand what happened, and why."

First tensing at the touch, Seven relaxed her arm. Samantha could feel the woman's muscles shift under her fingers, surprised that such thin arms had the power her muscles suggested. Lowering her head slightly, Seven lost some of her stiffness, "That would be acceptable. I would… I would like that, I think."

"Alright. Hold on a second while I – and yes, I _know_ you know I don't mean that literally, and no, you can't physically hold seconds. Really, Seven. – I'm going to go over and talk to Celes. I'll be right back. Is that fine with you?" Even though she had asked a question, Samantha didn't wait for the answer. Instead, she patted Seven's arm again and turned towards where the other woman still waited.

Making her way over, Samantha wondered what kind of person Tal would be. She had heard borg versions of horror stories about the woman, but Seven hadn't deemed anything relating to emotion relevant. As she came closer, she could see that the brunette looked very contrite, shifting back and forth on her feet. Her brown eyes were flicking in a cycle between Seven, the floor, Samantha, and back to Seven, repeating. When she reached her, the blonde was slightly amused to see Celes suddenly straighten up, arms locking at her sides. If possible, she was standing stiffer than Seven.

Deciding to remain neutral for the time being, Samantha smiled with what she hoped was reassurance. Before she had the chance to find words that would be appropriate, the crewman beat her to it.

"En-Ensign Wildman, I'm really sorry. I don't know what happened, really! We were talking, and then I put my foot in my mouth li-like I always do. And then I insulted Seven, I guess, though I didn't _say_ anything! I… I don't know what happened." At the end of her speech, Crewman Celes' voice had softened to a whisper.

A little shocked at the deluge of words that had bubbled from the woman, Samantha realized that Celes was younger than she had first thought. And she was also sure a misunderstanding was behind everything. "It's okay," she smiled, "I'll settle things. I'm afraid you're going to have to wait to continue your conversation, though."

Celes' wide eyes met her, and she nodded. "I, I figured. Thank you, Ensign Wildman." She looked like she was about to take a step forward, but she paused before she could continue the motion, almost stumbling with her momentum. The Bajoran glanced wildly at Seven before turning back to Samantha. "Uh… I have to go to my room, but Seven's standing right in front of it…"

Oh, that _was_ a problem! Samantha turned around. Seven was still standing where she had left her, watching them. Sighing and running a hand through her hair, Samantha smiled encouragingly at Celes.

Patting the brunette's shoulder softly (and feeling a spot of déjà vu'), the blonde was beginning to wonder if her motherly instincts were going to get her in trouble.

"Don't worry. I'll get you into your room soon. It's the first day of your holiday, isn't it?"

Crewman Celes looked at her oddly.

Smiling lopsidedly before turning away to grab her daughter a new dinner mate for the day, Samantha explained, "It was on Neelix's _Good Morning, Voyager_ today."

As she was ushering Seven down the hall to take a different turbolift, she found herself thinking deeply. If it wasn't her imagination, something about the two women made her think they weren't very different after all. But she couldn't put her finger on it.

*

When Captain Janeway received the report about the disturbance between Seven of Nine and Crewman Tal Celes, to say she was stunned was an understatement. "What is this?" she asked, setting the PADD down in front of her.

"It is the official report of an altercation involving Seven of Nine and Crewman Celes Tal that took place yesterday at 2015 hours. They engaged in a heated discussion, whereupon Ensign Wildman stepped in to resolve the situation."

Janeway studied the man in front of her. Tuvok's expression gave nothing away. Tapping the PADD with one finger, she laughed humorlessly, "Heated discussion? The last time Seven had anything _close_ to a heated discussion with anyone other than B'Elanna was when I freed her from the Borg! Tell me, Tuvok." The captain laced her fingers together, "Do you really believe what is written in this report?"

Weighing his words, the dark skinned Vulcan finally spoke, "Perhaps not all of the facts are correct. However, with the crewmembers involved, I felt it would be prudent to bring it to your attention before I took any action, if action is needed."

"Well, thank you for that." Janeway sat back into her chair. Running her fingers over the armrests, the auburn haired woman just couldn't imagine anything that would cause what was described in the PADD.

Taking her silence as uncertainty, Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "Shall I pull up the surveillance video, Captain?"

Janeway shook her head. "Did you watch it?"

"No. As I mentioned earlier, I believed you would want to know about this immediately."

"Good." Getting up and walking around the desk, she leaned her hip against the front edge, coming closer towards her friend.

Knowing that this meant he was needed as more of a confidant than Security Officer or Lieutenant Commander, Tuvok prepared himself for the human display of emotion in front of him. Kathryn Janeway often viewed her crew as children, wanting to end their conflicts as quick and final as a mother would. Even if it meant putting herself in the middle. This idea of mothering had never seemed logical to the Vulcan. He advised against her methods nine times out of ten, which she often ignored to continue on her own. It was a very human trait, one that Tuvok still didn't understand completely. He did, however, understand that he may never have a choice but to accept it, however illogical it seemed. Human emotions most always won over Vulcan logic. At least in regards to his Captain.

"I know these women, Tuvok. Maybe one more than the other, but I think I'm a pretty good judge of character. Neither would intentionally seek to cause discord to the other."

Tuvok nodded. "I agree. While Seven may have been an unknown factor when she first joined Voyager, there has not been evidence that she would let emotions take over at this time. As for Crewman Celes, I have no reason to believe she would be subject to _angry_ outbursts."

Somehow, the way he said 'angry' made Janeway suspect he had been on the end of one of Celes' apologies. She nodded, resting her chin on her hand. "Mmm… Everything about this speaks of information unknown."

"Captain?"

"The conversation or event behind this. If it has to do with work, or if it's personal. Point is, we don't know."

Tuvok raised his eyebrow again. "The surveillance video would answer those questions," he pointed out.

"No…" The captain shook her head again, frowning. She shifted her hip so she could get a better look at her companion. "I'm hesitant to invade the privacy of some of my crewmembers just because we don't _know_ something!"

"A report was written," Tuvok reminded her. If one was written, it would go to show that something had indeed happened that bothered fellow crewmembers.

Janeway sighed, placing her hands onto her thighs. "Frankly, Tuvok," she admitted, "I'm beginning to think this may just be a small grievance blown out of proportion." She stood from her seat and made her way over to the replicator. Ordering a coffee, black, something occurred to her.

"Tuvok?" she turned, waiting for the man to nod before she continued, "Make me a copy of all the people named in the report, as well as the person who filed it."

"Yes, Captain. I presume you have a course of action?"

Retrieving her coffee Janeway returned to her seat. "Correct. I shall see to this myself."

Tuvok nodded. "Very well. I shall return."

She waved him out. Turning to watch the stars go by, she frowned. She hadn't seen this coming at all.


	6. Chapter 6

She really didn't want to get up. She really didn't want to get up and get ready for work. But she _really_ didn't want to get up and get ready for work and _go to work_. Staying up to meditate most of the night, Tal still hadn't come to a clear understanding of what she had done to deeply upset Seven of Nine. She didn't know if she should address the issue outright, or act like it had never happened. Finally, she admitted that the choice would be made for her depending on how Seven acted.

Still, Tal didn't feel better yet. Reaching over to slap her combadge where it lay on her bedside table, she whispered fiercely, "Celes to Telfer. Billy, I need your help!"

A groggy voice greeted her; her best friend had slept in again as usual. "Telfer here. Tal, what is it? I had five minutes left…" His voice became muffled. Frowning, her eyebrows furrowed, she tried to make out the rest of what he said, "…really don't want to do it."

"Billy! Take the pillow off of your face!"

There was a groan, but a rustling sound told her he had complied. Yawning, Billy's voice asked again, "What is it?"

Pausing for a second, Tal glanced at the other bed in her room, hoping that she wasn't bothering her roommate, who had come in right after her day shift to immediately crawl into bed. Amanda wasn't moving or making noise, so the brunette figured it was okay. "I don't want to go to work today!" she hissed.

"What? Tal, if this is about Seven…"

"Of course it's about Seven!"

Billy's voice became pointed, sounding like he was reprimanding her. "Really, Tal, can't you just talk to her?"

Shaking her head, Tal realized Billy couldn't see it, so she grumbled.

"What?"

"I said," she started, pulling her pillow into her arms to hold onto it tightly, feeling ashamed of herself, "I _can't_ talk to her."

Billy sighed. Tal could see the rolling of his eyes. "And why not?"

"Because talking to her _started_ this! I should have never agreed to have a conversation with her. I should have known it would end badly!" Hearing a warning noise from Amanda, Tal lowered her voice again, hunching under the covers and bringing her badge closer to her, "We never talk. She probably hates me now."

There was silence. Fearing he had gotten frustrated and turned off the channel, she frantically whispered, "Billy? Billy!"

"I'm here, I'm here." Mumbling under his breath, there was another shifting noise, making Tal think he had pulled his pillow back over his face. After a second, he asked quietly, "You're sure you're not just scared of hurting her again?"

What? Staring at her badge with a disbelieving expression, her mouth dropped open. Trying to gather words in her head and successfully speak them, she found she couldn't. She was still reeling from the accusation.

"Look, Tal. I'm sure it'll be alright. Think about what I said. I'm going to get up now; you should too."

Tal could hear the beginning of a goodbye in his voice, so she nodded, "Okay, Billy. Thank you."

"No problem. You'll be okay. See you after shift?"

With an "of course," Tal closed the channel.

Was what Billy said really how she felt?

*

Straightening the collar of her turtleneck for the umpteenth time and trying to tuck the two stubborn locks of hair that insisted on falling in front of her ears into the bottom of her bun, Tal took in a deep breath. Holding it, cheeks puffing out, she stared at herself in the mirror. Brown eyes big, the whites clearly showing, she looked positively ill. Dark bags stood out against her pale skin, and she chewed her bottom lip worriedly. She just knew that whoever looked at her would know she hadn't slept a wink.

Taking a step back, she couldn't help the slump to her shoulders. It was only the second day of her fasting, but she looked like she was in her second week. With a pang, she knew that if her parents could see her, they would think poorly of her. Once again, Celes Tal was not living up to her Bajoran heritage.

"What happened to you?"

Startled, Tal turned towards the bathroom. Leaning against the door frame in her gray bathrobe was Amanda, toothbrush in her mouth. Talking while she brushed, the blonde nodded at her, "You look terrible."

"Thanks, Amanda. You don't have to rub it in." Shaking her head, Tal continued staring at herself, finding more things to be ashamed of. She adjusted the shoulders of her uniform, brushing off a stray hair that had fallen onto her arm. Sighing, she decided she'd punished herself enough, walking over to her bed. Grabbing her combadge, she pinned it on.

"No, seriously." Amanda walked closer to her after spitting, pulling the toothbrush out of her mouth in the process. "Are you sick? I can take you to Sickbay, if you want."

Tal was tempted. Call in sick… No, she shook her head. How could she even have considered it? During the Time of Cleansing, you were responsible for yourself. Feeling like more of a failure, she sighed. Straightening her spine and mustering up a smile, she knew she was acting silly. "I'll be alright. Just feeling a little under the weather, but I'm okay."

Getting a nod in response, she exited the room.

*

Somehow, Tal had found her way to Astrometrics. Staring at the doors, she didn't know how she had gotten there. Had she blanked everything out? No… Shaking her head, brows furrowed, the brunette thought she had exchanged greetings with someone… Didn't she? Yes. A male voice. In the turbolift. Black hair, yellow uniform… Tal had barely looked at him, she remembered. She'd been staring at the floor again. But his voice _was_ familiar…

Oh! Of course! Ensign Harry Kim had entered the turbolift. She remembered now. She'd been concentrating so hard on what she planned to say to Seven if it came to it, that she had almost forgotten he was there. They'd said hello to each other (Tal knew it was just reflex), but then Harry had tried to involve her in a conversation. First it was about the day, and how she planned to spend her off hours. Then it was the party coming up that the captain was throwing. She'd really didn't pay attention, grunting and nodding in the appropriate places. And then…

Oh. Oh my. Ohh _my_! Harry asked her if she wanted to attend the party with him. In her fugue state, Tal had automatically accepted.

…

Wow. Biting back a giddy smile at even the _thought_ that someone wanted to go with her, she suddenly frowned. Was this a date? She'd been attending with Billy so long that she'd almost forgotten there were men on the ship who were available. How had Kim meant the invite? She really wished she'd been paying more attention to the handsome man!

An ensign walked by, startling her out of her thoughts. Tal blushed. She'd probably been standing there for a long time, staring into space. She bit her lip, worry rushing through her body again. Was she late to shift? That would be just great, she thought. She'd have no hope of reconciling her working relationship with Seven at this rate!

Head down, she rushed through the doors, power walking to her station. Let's have a good day, let's have a good day, she chanted in her head. She took a deep breath. Ignoring the slight tremble of her arms as she gripped the console, she ran through a Bajoran calming meditation just for good luck. Logging into her console, she expected to hear footsteps or an unemotional voice reprimanding her for her tardiness.

Instead, as the seconds, and then minutes, ticked by, the only sound in the lab was the typing of information Tal was inputting to the computer. Pausing, she kept her fingers resting lightly on the screen. Only the beating of her heart, air moving in and out of her lungs, the soft gurgles of her stomach, and the ever present low hum under her feet reached her ears.

She slowly twisted around with her waist, keeping her body taut in case she needed to suddenly jump back into position. She widened her eyes, scanning the room twist by twist. When she had turned around as far as she could without falling, she realized her ears hadn't been lying. It was past the start of her shift, and Seven of Nine was nowhere in sight.

Immediately, Tal felt horrible. Even though her rational mind told her that she couldn't have possibly hurt Seven enough that she wouldn't go to work, the brunette still believed it had to be her fault. She'd love to be able to apologize… if only she _knew_ what she had to apologize for! The small feeling of happiness that had gathered in her chest after Kim asked her out slowly drained away. Tal must have well and truly screwed up.

The doors opened. Startled, Tal's plan failed. As she jumped with surprise, a nerve in her side pinched, and she tried to snap herself back. However, she had contorted herself just enough that her slightly rigid Bajoran physiology couldn't fight balance and gravity. With a yelp, Tal found herself sprawled on the floor. Laying there for a second in disbelief, a hot blush flushed across her face and down her neck. Pushing herself up, rubbing her side where it felt unhappy, the brunette suddenly heard the sound she had been dreading all day.

"Crewman Celes, that does not look productive," the sound of Seven of Nine's voice accompanied her heels as they came closer, "Do you require assistance?"

Before Tal could decide if she needed help or not, a hand was offered to her. Still confused by her sudden fall and why Seven wasn't yelling at her, she accepted. "I, uh, thanks, Seven."

The ex-borg's hand was warm, warmer than she had expected. Knowing that metal and technology still resided throughout the other woman's body, she had foolishly thought that Seven would be as cool as a robot. Instead, Seven's skin was slightly warmer than a normal human's. It made her wonder how the mesh covered left hand would feel.

Expecting a gradual pull up, Tal suddenly found herself face to chest against the taller woman. She let out an oomph! with the sudden contact. Amazingly, the first thought that came to the brunette's mind was that locks of hair had fallen loose from her bun, and that she should fix it. She then wondered if Seven had done it on purpose, but common sense chased that away. It wasn't until the taller woman froze and pushed her away a second later did Tal understand that for lack of better words, she had been hugging Seven of Nine. Even if it _was_ on accident.

Stumbling a little with the force of Seven's push (which, thankfully, hadn't been as powerful as the blonde's help up) Tal finally found herself balanced on her own two feet. Stunned silence mixed with the already heavy tension in the room. Straightening her uniform in lieu of having to react, Tal's mind belatedly sent her the feeling of Seven's body. It had been… strong. But surprisingly soft, too. That was the overwhelming consensus from her nerve endings.

"I do not believe…"

Hearing the soft words, Tal raised her gaze.

Seven was studying her hands, a strong frown on her face. "I apologize, Crewman Celes. I did not mean to accost you." Looking up, the blonde reached up to touch under her jaw, where her star implant was. "I had a 'check up' with the Doctor this morning and did not compensate for my increased strength."

Tal nodded, not able to meet Seven's eyes. "That's fine, Seven." Impulse made her blurt out, "Are… Are you okay?"

"Okay?" The blonde raised her ocular implant, shifting her arms to behind her back again. Tilting her head in subconscious imitation, Tal wondered if that stance was Seven's 'default'.

"Yes. Did I… uh… did I hurt you? Whe-when I hit you?" Internally, the brunette groaned at her question. She had been originally asking about the day before, but hadn't the nerve to follow through. The hair that had fallen out of her bun was beginning to tickle her face. It wasn't fair that Seven's was still perfect. She straightened her uniform to try to regain some dignity.

"That is not important, Crewman. My body is reinforced. It is I who should ask you." Seven walked forward, heading towards her usual station. She didn't turn around as she waited for the reply.

"I'm fine." Standing where Seven had left her, Tal realized she couldn't keep staring at the blonde's back. It seemed that after her acceptable answer, Seven had started ignoring her. Sighing, Tal rubbed her side again and took the couple of steps back to her station. Taking a second to try to shove her hair back into her bun, hoping against hope that she wasn't making it worse, she was quickly entering and deciphering information again.


End file.
